Fork.



PATETED JULY 2; 1907. A E. P. WEBB.

PORK.

APPLIUATION FILED JAN. 14,1907.

WTIVESSES:

EDMUND F.' WEBB, OF ATTLEBORO, MASSACHUSETTS.

FORK.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July 2, 1907.

Application filed January 14, 1907. Serial N0- 352,102.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, EDMUND F. WEBB, a citizen of the United States, and residing in the town of Attleboro, in the county of Bristol and Commonwealth of Massachusetts, have invented certain new and useiul Improvements in Forks, o which the following is a speciiication, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming part thereof.

My invention relates to forks designed for lifting pickles, olives, etc. from containing vessels, and its object is to provide a fork which will release as well as hold an article, such as a pickle or olive, at the will of the user, without the necessity of said article coming in contact with ones hands or other implements. It is alsol intended to produce a fork which is sanitary and easily cleaned through the absence of interior working parts and recesses into which eon'oding liquids and other foreign matter can penetrate.

Referring to the drawings, Figure I is a view of what I term the reverse or under side of the fork. Fig. Il is a View, in perspective, of the front or top side of the same fork. Fig. Ill is a View of the end oi the ork showing the flange between the tines.

Like characters denote like parts throughout the drawings.

My fork consists of a handle l, a stem 2 and a tine member 3. Upon the outer surface of the fork are attached a number of tubular bands or rings 4, through which slides a rod 5. To one end oi this rod a flange 6 is rmly secured. This flange is fitted with grooves or recesses 7' which engage the inner edges ofthe tines 8 and slides longitudinally between them, they acting as guide rails. Upon the outer edges of the tines are formed barbs 9 which serve to increase the retaining power of the fork tines. At the end of the rod 5, adjacent to the handle of the fork, is fastened a combined handle and lever l0 at such an angle with the rod as to-form a hook by means of which the entire fork may be suspended in an upright position against the side of a jar, bottle or other receptacle and when it is thus suspended all liquid matter will drip away, leaving it comparatively clean. This handle-lever l0, by means of its angular Aconnection with the rod, co-operates with the band 4 to establish alimit to the movement of the rod in one direction. The movement of the rod inthe other direction is limited by the eo-operatlon of another band 4 with a shoulder or angular formation oi the rod at its junction with the flange 6. The handle-lever l0 acts further as a lever by which the rod can be made to slide within the bands 4, and its action be positively controlled iu either V direction. The close proximity o this handlelever 1.o the handle of the iork enables a person to operate it with the thumb or linger oi the salne hand that holds the fork.

The operation oi my iork is very simple. The penetration o a pickle, olive or other substance by the tines, automatically causes the flange to slide to the base of the tines Where it is held until the impingcd substance is removed. The barbs on the outer edges oi the tines prevent such substance from leaving the fork until, by a pressure of the thumb or linger' upon the handle-lever l0, the rod is made to slide through the bands 4 and the liange is pushed out along the tines. The llange overcomes the retaining ioree oi the barbs and projects the substance from the fork.

The construction of my ieri; is such that all parts el it are exposed and therefore easily cleansed and this feature together with the means described ior suspending it in an upright position when not in use makes this article particularly sanitary.

It is apparent that my invention permits of any length oi fork and any number oi tines thereon, and it also can be adapted to a curved line ork as well the straight construction, so that, although the drawings show the preferred embodiment oi my new iork, the invention is to be understood as covering all other variations oi structure which are within the scope ol` the claims.

Having described my invention, what I claim is:-

A fork comprisingl in combination, a handle, n stein and a tine member, barbs upon the outer edges of the tine member, an integral push-rod longitudinally disposed upon the stem from the handle to the tine melnber dellected inwardly at its lower end where it is enlarged and Iltled with grooves to engage and slide longitudinally between the inner edges of the tines, und dellected outwardly :it its upper end formingl a suspension hook, :r boss :it the upper extremity of the rod, eyelets upon ih e siem lo guide the rod, and means for limitingits longitudinal movement.

In witness whereof I ux my name in the presence ol' two witnesses.

EDMUND F. WEBB.

Witnesses PHILIP E. BRADY, HowAnn T. Barns. 

